French-Algerian artist Kader Attia to curate seventh Kochi-Muziris Biennale

Kochi: The Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) has announced internationally acclaimed French-Algerian artist and curator Kader Attia as the curator of the seventh edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. He will be the first foreign curator of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. The seventh edition of the Biennale is scheduled to open in December 2027.

The announcement was made by Jitish Kallat, president of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, at a special event organised by the Foundation in Venice on Friday. Attia was selected by a committee chaired by Kallat, with members including Shilpa Gupta, Amrita Jhaveri, Pooja Sood, Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, Mariam Ram, and Rirkrit Tiravanija. 

Born in Dugny, France, in 1970, Attia is an internationally recognised artist, curator and professor at the University of Fine Arts Hamburg (HfbK Hamburg). His artistic practice explores questions of history, memory, repair and the enduring legacies of colonialism. Working across installation, sculpture, film and archival research, he has developed a body of work that brings together artistic, anthropological and philosophical inquiry.

As curator of the seventh edition, Attia will begin a process of curatorial research and dialogue to develop the framework for the 2027-28 Biennale, with Kochi serving as a key point of departure within a broader field of artistic, historical and contemporary inquiry.

Welcoming Attia, Kallat said the committee was drawn to “the poetic range and generative potential” of his proposal, as well as the “flexible curatorial framework” it offered for bringing multiple artistic practices, histories and publics into meaningful relation in Kochi.

“Kader Attia brings to the Biennale artistic depth, curatorial openness, and a strong pedagogic sensibility. Attia had previously participated in the 2014 edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale and we look forward to the ways in which his curatorial vision will take shape in Kochi,” Kallat said.

Speaking on his appointment, Attia said he had long hoped to return to Kochi after his first visit to the city in 2014.

“Ever since I visited Kochi for the first time, I have dreamed of coming back and building connections between the many intertwined influences that are at the core of this culturally multi-layered city. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to bring this desire to life on the scale of a biennial, together with the fantastic team of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, for its seventh edition,” Attia added.

Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) chairperson Venu V said the sixth edition of the Biennale had reaffirmed the event’s role as a vibrant platform for dialogue, imagination and inclusiveness.

“The announcement of the new curator marks the beginning of a fresh artistic journey, one that will continue to challenge, inspire, and connect global voices with our local realities,” he said.

The Kochi-Muziris Biennale, the first and largest contemporary art biennale in India, is organised by the Kochi Biennale Foundation, a non-profit organisation established in Kochi in 2010. The sixth edition of the Biennale, curated by Nikhil Chopra with HH Art Spaces, concluded on March 31, 2026. More details about the seventh edition are expected to be announced in the coming months.